1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hinge assembly, and more particularly to a hinge assembly attaching a monitor panel to a base of a notebook computer.
2. Description of the Prior Arts
Notebook computers are designed to be more and more convenient and to have structural features to add preferred operational functions.
One type of conventional notebook computer has a horizontally rotatable monitor panel relative to its base to provide a capability to exhibit or to show the monitor to people behind the monitor panel. However, the kind of the conventional notebook computer is only designed to allow its monitor panel to horizontally rotate clockwise or counterclockwise a limited angle. Consequently, a person using the notebook computer needs to rotate the monitor panel in the opposite direction to close the monitor panel or continue typing on the notebook computer after showing it to people behind the monitor panel. Even when the monitor panel is rotated more then 180°, the monitor panel must be rotated in the opposite direction to its original position. Not being able to return the monitor panel to its original position directly by continuing to rotate it in the initial direction to reach 360° can be awkward.
To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention provides a hinge assembly to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.